


On Children

by Theonewhobloomsinthebittersnow



Series: Patchwork Family [1]
Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: F/M, Fluff but also some angst, I love her, Ugh, a little cursing because i can, eurydice just wants to protect this kid, it's a good song i sang it for chorus you should listen to it, named after a song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21612355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theonewhobloomsinthebittersnow/pseuds/Theonewhobloomsinthebittersnow
Summary: A guy comes to the bar with his daughter (I suck at summaries I promise it's better than it sounds... I hope)
Relationships: Eurydice/Orpheus (Hadestown)
Series: Patchwork Family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667569
Comments: 7
Kudos: 40





	On Children

**Author's Note:**

> It's a long one tonight boys!

It was cold. Of course it was cold, that’s so cliche. It was one of Orpheus’s rare days off where he wasn’t working at the bar, and he was taking the time to work on his new song. Everything was quiet in the tiny apartment, even the radiator had stopped emitting its usual angry hissing for a few moments. Until without warning the door opened with a loud BANG, and a very pissed looking Eurydice stormed in, slamming the door behind her. Orpheus jumped five feet into the air and landed on the floor, tangled up in the blanket he had wrapped around his shoulders. When Orpheus had reoriented himself, he looked up to see Eurydice with her back to him pulling off her coat all while muttering angrily to herself. 

“What happened?” Orpheus asked, going over to her, slightly concerned. Eurydice turned towards him, and he gasped. She had a long scrape along one cheek that was covered in dried blood and there was a bruise already turning purple developing next to her eye. 

“What happened?” he asked again, more frantically.

“Ok, don’t panic,” Eurydice started.

“Don’t panic!” Orpheus’s voice rose about three octaves as he pulled her into the bathroom. “What am I supposed to do then? You came home looking like you got beat up!” He wet a washcloth and started cleaning her cheek, seemingly unaware of what he was doing. 

“Orpheus,” Eurydice grabbed his wrists forcing him to stop what he was doing. “I’m fine, it’s really not as bad as it looks.” Orpheus sighed and bit his lip before sitting down next to her on the edge of the tub.

“What happened?” He asked for a third time, still looking at her worriedly. Eurydice’s face darkened and she looked away from Orpheus, unintentionally picking at her fingernails. 

“So there was this guy who came in with his kid today,” she started. “And I mean, that’s honestly where I started to get worried, she was only about 5 and he’s bringing her into a bar. But anyway, he sits down and starts playing cards with these other two guys. Big guys all three of ‘em as well, I should have known…” Eurydice drifted off for a moment before seeming to pull herself back to the present. “Anyway, the girl kinda just stands there biting her nails and staring at the floor silently. After a couple of hands, the guy who was presumably her dad turns to the kid and tells her to go get him a drink. She runs up to the bar as fast as she can and makes the order. By now Mister Hermes and I are both a little suspicious, so he starts talking to her, trying to get a sense of her living environment while I got the guy his beer. All her answers seemed normal enough, but Mr. Hermes said that she kept glancing back at her dad. Her dad was watching though, and we couldn’t very well start something over a hunch, so I handed her the drink and we watched her walk it back to the table. But when she gets there, her dad starts yelling at her that it’s the ‘wrong drink’ and telling her how worthless she is.” Eurydice’s voice shook a little, but she took a deep breath and continued with the story, picking at her nails more urgently. “So anyway, I’m not sure what came over me, but I kind of snapped and I ran over to the dad and tried to get him to stop. Of course, that didn’t work and, well I’m sure you can guess how things went after that.” By the end of the story, Eurydice’s jaw was clenched so tightly she could barely talk.

“Whatever,” she mumbled after a minute of silence. “It’s dumb, I shouldn’t be upset over it.” 

“It’s not dumb,” Orpheus said, instinctively putting his arm around her shoulders. “You’re allowed to be upset, you know.” She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed, leaning into him more. 

“Yeah but, it’s not even happening to me. It’s just this poor kid who’s going through it.”

“But things can affect you without them happening directly to you.” Orpheus pointed out. Eurydice glanced up at him, smiling a little.

“Where did you learn to be a therapist?” She asked jokingly, kissing his cheek. Orpheus blushed and mumbled something about Mister Hermes. That made her laugh, which made him laugh and they sat together in silence for a while, each thinking their own thoughts until Orpheus broke the silence. 

“Do you know where she is now?” He asked, cautiously, not wanting to bring up something that would cause Eurydice any pain.

“No,” she said, sadly. “He pretty much just grabbed her and stormed out as soon as he had punched me.” 

“Was he one of the regulars?” Orpheus asked, trying to imagine any of the bar’s patrons doing something like that. Eurydice shook her head. 

“No,” she said, “I’d never seen him before.” 

“Maybe his kid will be back,” Orpheus said, hopefully.

“Yeah,” Eurydice smiled at him. “Maybe.” 

The next day at the bar…

It had been a fairly quiet day so far, there had only been one minor bar fight that was easily stopped and nothing had even gotten broken. Of course, it was only midday, so there was still plenty of time. Eurydice was bussing tables as Orpheus poured drinks behind the bar. The door opened, letting in a whoosh of cold air as a man and a tiny girl walked in. The girl was so skinny Orpheus could see her ribs. Her hair was stringy and her lips were chapped. She looked as if she hadn’t showered in several days and everything she had on was either too small or ripped to shreds. Eurydice glanced up to see who had come in and almost dropped the bin of dirty dishes she was carrying. She quickly glanced at Orpheus and confirmed what he had already suspected. This was the same guy as before. He sat down at the bar, and the small girl stood behind him, silent as a nun. 

“One beer,” he grunted at Orpheus who nodded hastily and went to get it for him. Eurydice tried to slip back into the kitchen unnoticed but to no avail.

“Oi!” The man said to her, “You’re that bitch who thought she could pick a fight with me yesterday.” Eurydice raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.

“And you’re that bitch who likes to beat his daughter for fun,” She answered coolly, her mouth moving faster than she could think.  _ Shit _ , now she was going to get it.  _ Nice going dumbass,  _ she thought, her brain kicking in at the exact wrong moment,  _ now you’ve made it worse for yourself  _ _ and _ _ the kid _ . The man’s face went red and his hands clenched into fists. 

“What was that?” He asked, standing up from the stool he had been sitting on. Orpheus dropped the mug that he was holding and sprinted over to Eurydice, standing in front of her as if to shield her. 

“Orpheus it’s ok, I can take him,” she said trying to push him out of the way. Orpheus shook his head, staying put.

“Come on boy,” the man spat. “You heard her, out of the way.” 

“Sir, please get out before I have to make you,” Orpheus said, still standing in front of Eurydice trying to appear threatening, though his voice had risen several octaves. 

“Poet,” she mumbled more urgently. “Get out of the way, he’ll hurt you.” 

“If I get out of the way he’ll hurt  _ you _ ,” Orpheus pointed out. Eurydice opened her mouth to respond but was cut off as the man strode across the room and slapped Orpheus square across the face, sending him staggering back into the wall. Eurydice let out a furious scream and practically launched herself at the man. He had not been expecting that and shouted in pain as her punches connected with his face. The office door banged against the wall as Hermes rushed out. In about two seconds he figured out what was happening, and he managed to get Eurydice off of the man, whose face was now rather bloody.

“Go check on Orpheus,” he instructed her, and she paled considerably and hurried over to where he lay. Hermes now turned to the man, who was groaning as he felt his face for damage.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he said, just as calmly as Orpheus had spoken before, but with much more confidence.

“Me!” The man shouted angrily, “She’s the one who should be leaving! Do you see what that bitch did to my face!” 

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Hermes repeated more firmly this time. Nobody was quite sure what happened after that, but somehow the man was outside and the door was firmly shut behind him. Hermes then hurried over to where Eurydice was kneeling. 

“You alright poet?” he asked anxiously, squatting down next to him.

“Yeah,” Orpheus answered, “my head just hurts a little.” 

“We should probably look at that,” Hermes said, standing up. Suddenly, something, or actually someone, caught his eye. It was the little girl from before, she hadn’t followed her father out it seemed, and now she was hiding under the bar, her eyes wide and scared as she looked at the three of them. Hermes turned to Eurydice,

“I trust you can handle this?” He asked her quietly. She nodded and gave Orpheus’s hand a squeeze before scooting closer to the girl. 

“Hey kiddo,” she said, smiling gently. “What’s your name?” 

“Ph-phoenix.” Came the reply from under the bar.

“Yeah? That’s a great name, how old are you Phoenix?” Eurydice asked. Phoenix shrugged, biting her thumbnail.

“Do you remember celebrating any birthdays?” Eurydice tried again. Phoenix shook her head, looking down at the floor.

“Well, that’s alright. Can I tell you a secret?” Eurydice said, leaning slightly closer to her. The little girl seemed wary, but she looked back up at Eurydice expectantly. 

“I’m not exactly sure how old I am either,” Eurydice said. This made Phoenix giggle, but she hastily clapped a hand over her mouth. 

“What’s wrong?” Eurydice asked her.

“He doesn’t like it when I make noise,” she whispered. “I’m supposed to be quiet as a mouse.” Eurydice felt her heart break as she looked at the tiny girl hiding under the bar who reminded her so much of herself. 

“Well, I’ll tell you what,” she said, taking a deep breath, “In here you can be as loud as you want to, ok?” 

“Really?” Phoenix asked, her little face brightening a little.

“Of course,” Eurydice answered, smiling at her. Phoenix gave a half-smile back and carefully climbed out from under the bar, still chewing on her nails. 

“Are you going to make me go back?” She asked, looking at the ground.

“No,” Eurydice said firmly. Phoenix looked back up at her in surprise.

“You-you’re not?” She asked, sounding shocked and disbelieving.

“No, I’m not,” Eurydice said, smiling at the girl again. Phoenix’s whole face lit up, but then she seemed to remember something, and she looked back down at the ground the smile sliding off her face.

“Where am I gonna go then?” She asked. “I don’t wanna go out on the street again.”

“Again?” Eurydice asked, looking worried. Phoenix nodded.

“He took me in off the street. Said that he was doin’ me a favor. Kept tellin’ me I should be grateful, not many people would want a rat like me.” It was lucky that Eurydice wasn’t holding anything at the moment because it definitely would have gotten broken. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked Phoenix straight in the eyes. 

“Listen to me, Phoenix. Whatever he told you, it was a lie. Whatever he said about you, wasn’t true. Ok?” Phoenix nodded, not looking convinced. 

“Now, let’s see if we can find you something warmer to wear,” Eurydice said, deciding to work on the whole ‘self-love bit’ later. She picked up a cardboard box from next to the kitchen. “We can probably find you something to wear in the lost and found,” she said, digging through the box. “Tomorrow we’ll go out and get you a couple of things from the market, ok?” Phoenix nodded, looking awed.

“We can shop at the market?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. That made Eurydice smile.

“Only for the essentials,” she said. “But yes, we can.” Phoenix looked up at her, eyes wide.

“Now, I’m going to find you some clothes, get some water so you can take a bath, and attend to a couple of things,” Eurydice said, glancing worriedly at the door Hermes and Orpheus had disappeared through. “In the meantime, do you want anything to eat?” Phoenix nodded, and then, almost as if she was catching herself answered, 

“Yes please,” looking up shyly at Eurydice. 

“Alright, I’ll get Mister Hermes to make you something. After that, we’ll give you a bath, is that ok?” Phoenix nodded her mouth hanging open a little. “Ok then,” Eurydice said. “Let me see what we can get you.”

Six Months Later

Warm summer air rushed into the bar as Orpheus and Eurydice stepped inside. Before they could even let the door close all the way, a very excited small girl bounced up to them. 

“Look!” She cried before they could even say hello. “Look what I can do!” 

“Woahhh, cool!” Eurydice said, as the girl rubbed her hands together and produced a red flower seemingly from nowhere. It had been revealed that Phoenix was a demi-god, a daughter of Demeter to be exact. Seph had been thrilled when she found out, and immediately started teaching Phoenix how to control her abilities. Phoenix was a fast learner as it turned out, and was picking things up quickly. 

“Wow,” Orpheus said, crouching down to examine it. “How’d you do that?” He asked, looking up at her smiling. She shrugged,

“I dunno, I just kinda did.” That made Orpheus laugh. 

“Y’know, I wouldn’t be surprised if you grew up to be the next goddess of spring,” he said, smiling at her. 

“That sure would make Auntie Seph happy!” She said beaming at him as she danced away to show her flower to Jewelle. Orpheus stood back up, joining in Eurydice’s laughter. 

“Look at how much she’s changed,” she said to him, as they watched Phoenix eagerly waving her flower around. There was no sight of the scared girl who had hidden under the bar anymore.

“Yeah,” he smiled at her. “Thanks to you y’know.” 

“Nah,” Eurydice smiled, “we all pitched in. And, let’s be honest, with how much she’s been showing off her nature powers we all know who her favorite is.”

“Yes, but you’re the one who started it,” Orpheus said. “You’re the first person to talk to her like she was a human being. That’s not something she’s going to forget.” Eurydice smiled, watching Phoenix for a second before turning back to Orpheus.

“I guess you’re right,” she said. “I guess you’re right.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo what did you think? I hope that you love Phoenix as much as I do because she'll be in a ton of my other upcoming fics!


End file.
